Roll-shifter for player-pianos.



I W; A. KRUGK. ROLL SHIFTER FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED 001 .27, 1911.

1,055,054. Patented M211: 4,1913.

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f gp 51401244 605 "/MMJM M" 13.

Va ino WALTER A. KRUCK. OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

ROLL-SHIFTER FQR PLAYER-PIANOS.

rossnsi.

Specification of Lett rs P n iatentec Mar. it. 1M3.

Application filed October 27, 1911. Serial No. 6571086.

lie it known that l, lVaL'ren A. Kmioit a citizen of the United States.residing at Camden in the county ofCamden and State of New Jersey. haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inlioll-Shifters torPlayer-Pianos, of which the following is a s 'iliCtltlOlL This inventionrelates to roll shifters for player pianos.

More pa rticularly, it belongs to thatclass of coutrivances constructedand arranged to e operated by atmospheric pressure and c ntrolled by themovement of the note sheet. whereby the displacement of the note sheetwith reference to the tracker-bmird in either direction may be rectifiedby a suitable sidewise movement of the note sheet brought about by anendwise movement of.

the roll carryingit.

The object of this invention is the production of a roll shiftercomprising devices formed of metal, and without using the customarybellows for the purpose of impartlug movement to the elements concerned.

Another objectof this invention consists in the special construction andarrangement of parts actuated by atmospheric pressure and controlled bythe note sheet. adapt ed to etl ect a reciprocating movement for anydesired purpose in connection with a player piano.

The construction and arrangement of the parts of this invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, of wh1ch- Figure 1 representsa front view of a portion of the frame of a player piano mechanism. andshows the note sheet in part, and the roll carrying it, with thisinvention applied thereto. Various parts concerned are shown in verticalsection to aid the explana tion. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the spoolvalve casing and main valve casing, With a part of the cylindercontaining the operating piston.

'llhrougl'iout the drawings and description, the same letter or numeralis employed to reter'to the same part.

On the base plate A, is erected the powe cylinder a, within which is apiston B hav- M with the casing ing a rod 0 connected with a hell-cranklever t, by the link The hell-crank is pi'votallv connected with rodl),andthe rod is mm ably onnected with levers l) and c. by means (ifplus I and projecting from rod 1 and engaging slots (i and r in thelevers. 'lhe levers have their free ends arranged against the endsbt thespindles H and it by which the roll I is supported, and the roll'carries a note sheet j,'that passes over a trackerboard K. The two endorificesoi thetrackerboard marked 7; and L are connected with certainvalvular devices, of which there are two A description of the.construction and operation of one setof those devices will explain thewhole, as both sets are X- actly alike in every way. 1

The tracker orifice A is connected by tube N on base plate A. Within thecasing is a spool valve n arranged to work freely up and down in thecasing. Theasinp' N is usually made with two removable end caps asillustrated, and, in the lower end cap is placed a disk 0 having twocavities P and Q, and these cavities register with orifices It and 1' inthe rubber disk S,

that is placed upon disk 0 and acts as a cushion for the spool valve 9i,it may be noted here that the orifice 7a in the trackerboard isconnected by tube M with the cavity P of disk 0 that is located in thebottom of casino N of the spool valve. The cavity Q of disk 0 isconnected by tube T, and using N by tube t, with the main valve casingU. It will be observed that the tube T opens below the piston V incasing U, and that the tube '15 opens into that casing above the piston.The piston V has a rod W attached to it, and the rod passes upwardlythrough a guide plate 'wlixed transverselywithin the coupling 1. At theupper end of 'rod TV is a valve 2 that has a seat 3 on the top ofcoupling 1. A cap 4. covers the valve and the top of the coupling andcap 4: is provided with a central opening 5 through which the outsideair may enter. Cap 4; of

the main valve casing is connectedby tube i (3 with the cylinder (1above the piston B as shown. p

The casings N and U and their contents comprise one set of valvulardevices. The other set, identical in size and structure, in-

: cludes spool valve casing 7, best shown in orifices is Fig. 2, andthere is also set forth one of the tubes marked 8 connecting the casing7 with the main valve casing 9. The top of casing 9 is connected by tube11 with the working cylinder a below-the piston B.

It will be noted in Fig. 1, that the note sheet 7' when in properposition covers the end orifices and L of the trackerboard, and, thenote sheet covers likewise the additional orifice 12 located nearorifice L and connected with tube 13, and the additional orifice 14Llocated near orifice 7c and connected with tube 15. The additionalorifices are placed, as illustrated, by the side of the and L but alittle toward the middle ofthe trackerboard.

To explain the operation, let it be assumed that from any cause the notesheet j during its progress over the traokerboard is drawn to one sideuncovering, in whole or in part, the orifice l. Air now passes by way oftube M into spool valve casing below the valve, which it lifts,allowing-air to pass through cavity P, openings R and 1' in the cushiondisk at the bottom of that casing, and by connecting tube T into mainvalve casing-U be'low piston V. The piston is raised, and valve 2 closesopening 5 at the top, enabling the suction tube at to take the air fromthe working cylinder 41 above piston B. Atmospheric pressure belowpiston B moves that piston upwardly, operating bell crank C, and rod Dtoward the left and again covering orifice 7:. Let it be further assumedthat the note sheet j is so narrow that a part of each of the orifices7c and L are always uncovered. Such a condition of things will result inholding up main valve 2 and its duplicate in'the casing 9, and equalsuction will be effected both above and be low piston B in workingcylinder (in. Now, if the note sheet becomes displaced toward the right,considering Fig. 1, sutliciently to uncover any part of additionalorifice 12, airpasses by tube 13 into the top of casing N asillustrated, and there is then air pressure both above and below spoolvalve a, which drops of its own'weight, closing orifices R and r at thebottom of easing N. No more air can then enter by way of connection Tbeneath main valve piston V, and by way of duct 1; the air beneath thatpiston is quickly exhausted. The cuts air on main valve 2 seats thatvalve enters working cylinder a above T. which is moved downwardlympr lcrank C and rod D, moving roll .i te sheet j to the left and recoveringilllfillfll orifice 19. The reason for pl the additional orificessomewhat more toward the middle of the trackerboard will now becomeapparent. The object is to provide for the automatic adjustment ofunusually narrow note sheets. I It will be understood, that when bothadditional orifices12 and 14 are covered by the note sheet,'the tubes 13and 15 are exhausted,

' owing to the fact that the top of each spool valve'has a duct such asduct 16 through the upper disk of spool valve n shown in Fig. 1. The airis drawn out betweenthe ends of the spool valve through the tube 25,into the casing U of the main valve, and the interior of casing N abovethe spool valve is normally, therefore, a partial vacuum, whichcondition permits air entering below the spool valve to raise that valveas already eX- plained.

It has been stated herein that both sets of the valvular devices areidentical in construction and operation, and, further, when the orificeit or the orifice L is opened, the sets of valvular devices operateindependently of each other. But, when either of the additional orifices12 or 14 is opened as set forth in this specification, while the sets ofvalvular devices still act independently, it is not exactlyin the sameorder as before. That is to say, for example, when orifice L isuncovered, air by way of tube m actuates the parts in casings 7 and 9,best shown in Fig, 2. The uncovering of additional orifice 12, however,located atthe same end of the tracker-board with the orifice L, causesthe operation of devices in casings N and U.

Having now described this invention, and explained the mode of itsoperation, what 1 claim is ings having valves movable freelyjup and downtherein, each valve having ahead at either end connected together and anair space between them, the said casings having upper and loweropeningscontrolled by said valves, of trackerboard having end orifices connectedwith the lower openings ot-the casings and additional orificesconnectedwith the upper openings, the said end and additional orifices at thesame end of the tracker-board being connected with different casings, asuction tube having connections with said casings between the of thevalves therein, and means constructed to permit the passage of air fromabove the upper heads of the valves in the casings into said suctiontube connections.

2. The combination with a pair of casings having spool valves movablefreely up and down therein, the said casing. iving upper and loweropenings contr d said valves, of a trackerboard ha end orificeslconnecled with the low r of the 1. The combination with a pair of cas-'casings and additional orifices connected head of the valve into saidsuction tube con- 10 with the upper openings, the said end and Inections. additional orifices at the same end of the In testimonywhereof I afiix my signature trackerboard being connected with dilferentin presence of two Witnesses. casings, anda suction tube havin connec- J1 tions with said casings between the heads of 1 WALTER KRUCK' the spoolvalves, the upper head of each itnessesz' spool valve having an air ductconstructed CHAS. M. BALnwIn,

to permit an to pass from above the upper FRANK B. LAYTON.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five'cents each, by addressingthe "Commissiones of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

